Method and apparatus for editing heterogeneous media objects in a digital imaging device

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for editing heterogeneous media objects in a digital imaging device having a display screen, where each one of the media objects has one or more media types associated therewith, such as a still image, a sequential image, video, audio, and text. The method aspect of the present invention begins by displaying a representation of each one of the media objects on the display screen to allow a user to randomly select a particular media object to edit. In response to a user pressing a key to edit a selected media object, one or more specialized edit screens is invoked for editing the media types associated with the selected media object. If the media object includes a still or a sequential image, then an image editing screen is invoked. If the media object includes a video clip, then a video editing screen is invoked. If the media object includes an audio clip, then an audio editing screen is invoked. And If the media object includes a text clip, then a text editing screen is invoked.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present invention is related to the following co-pending U.S.patent application Ser. No. 08/702,286 entitled “Method and System ForGrouping Images In A Digital Camera” filed on Sep. 26, 1996; and Ser.No. 08/716,018 entitled “Method And System For Displaying Images AndAssociated Media Types In The interface Of A Digital Camera,” filed Sep.9, 1996.

[0002] The present invention is also related to the following co-pendingU.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ entitled “Method And ApparatusFor Creating A Multimedia Presentation From Heterogeneous Media ObjectsIn A Digital Imaging Device,” and Ser. No. ______ entitled “Method AndApparatus For Creating An Interactive Slide Show In A Digital ImagingDevice”, both filed concurrently herewith.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention relates generally to a digital imagingdevice and more particularly to a method and apparatus for creating,editing and presenting a multimedia presentation comprisingheterogeneous media objects in the digital imaging device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The use of digital cameras is rapidly proliferating and they mayone day overtake 35 mm SLR's in terms of worldwide sales. There arebasically three types of digital cameras; digital still cameras, digitalvideo cameras, and hybrid digital-video cameras.

[0005] Still digital cameras are used primarily for capturing highquality static photographs, and offer a less expensive alternative todigital video cameras. Still digital cameras are typically lessexpensive because they have far less processing power and memorycapacity than digital video cameras.

[0006] Digital video cameras differ from digital still cameras in anumber of respects. Digital video cameras are used to capture video atapproximately thirty frames per second at the expense of image quality.Digital video cameras are more expensive than still cameras because ofthe extra hardware needed. The uncompressed digital video signals fromall the low-resolution images require huge amounts memory storage, andhigh-ratio real-time compression schemes, such as MPEG, are essentialfor providing digital video for today's computers. Until recently, mostdigital video recorders used digital magnetic tape as the primarystorage media, which has the disadvantage of not allowing random accessto the data.

[0007] Hybrid digital-video cameras, also referred to as multimediarecorders, are capable of capturing both still JPEG images and videoclips, with or without sound. One such camera, the M2 MultimediaRecorder by Hitachi America, Ltd., Brisbane, CA, stores the images on aPC card hard disk (PCMCIA Type III), which provides random access to therecorded video data.

[0008] All three types of cameras typically include a liquid-crystaldisplay (LCD) or other type of display screen on the back of the camera.Through the use of the LCD, the digital cameras operate in one of twomodes, record and play. In record mode, the display is used as aviewfinder in which the user may view an object or scene before taking apicture. In play mode, the display is used a playback screen forallowing the user to review previously captured images and/or video. Thecamera may also be connected to a television for displaying the imageson a larger screen.

[0009] Since digital cameras capture images and sound in digital format,their use for creation of multimedia presentations is ideal. However,despite their capability to record still images, audio, and video,today's digital cameras require the user to be very technologicallyproficient in order to create multimedia presentations.

[0010] For example, in order to create a multimedia presentation, theuser first captures desired images and video with the camera, and thendownloads the images to a personal computer or notebook computer. There,the user may import the images and video directly into a presentationprogram, such as Microsoft PowerPoint™. The user may also edit theimages and video using any one of a number of image editing softwareapplications. After the PowerPoint presentation has been created, theuser must connect the PC or notebook to a projector to display thepresentation. Finally, the user typically controls the play back of thepresentation using a remote control.

[0011] Due to the limitations of today's digital cameras in terms ofcapabilities and features, the user is forced to learn how to operate acomputer, image editing software, and a presentation program in order toeffectively create and display the multimedia presentation. As the useof digital cameras becomes increasingly mainstream, however, the numberof novice computer users will increase. Indeed, many users will not evenown a computer at all. Therefore, many camera owners will be precludedfrom taking advantage of the multimedia capabilities provided by digitalcameras.

[0012] What is needed is an improved method for creating, editing, anddisplaying a multimedia presentation using images and/or video from adigital imaging device. The present invention addresses such a need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0013] The present invention provides a method and apparatus for editingheterogeneous media objects in a digital imaging device having a displayscreen, where each one of the media objects has one or more media typesassociated therewith, such as a still image, a sequential image, video,audio, and text. The method aspect of the present invention begins bydisplaying a representation of each one of the media objects on thedisplay screen to allow a user to randomly select a particular mediaobject to edit. In response to a user pressing a key to edit a selectedmedia object, one or more specialized edit screens is invoked forediting the media types associated with the selected media object. Ifthe media object includes a still or a sequential image, then an imageediting screen is invoked. If the media object includes a video clip,then a video editing screen is invoked. If the media object includes anaudio clip, then an audio editing screen is invoked. And If the mediaobject includes a text clip, then a text editing screen is invoked.

[0014] According to the present invention, each one of the specializedediting screens operates in a similar manner to ease use and operationof the digital imaging device and to facilitate creation of multimediapresentations on the digital imaging device, without the need todownload the contents of the camera to a PC for editing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015]FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating of one preferred embodimentof a digital video camera (DVC) for use in accordance with the presentinvention.

[0016]FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams depicting an exemplary form factordesign for the DVC.

[0017]FIG. 3 is a table listing example media types that may be capturedand stored by the DVC.

[0018]FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating one preferred embodiment of thereview mode screen.

[0019]FIG. 5 is a flowchart depicting the process of creating an orderedgroup of heterogeneous media objects in accordance with the presentinvention.

[0020] FIGS. 6-8 are diagrams illustrating examples of markingheterogeneous media objects.

[0021]FIG. 9A is a diagram illustrating a slide show object implementedas a metadata file.

[0022]FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the DVC connected to externalprojector, and alternatively to a television.

[0023]FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the components of the slide-showedit screen in accordance with the present invention.

[0024]FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the image editing screen.

[0025]FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the video editing screen.

[0026] FIGS. 14-17 are diagrams illustrating the process of editing avideo on the DVC by creating and moving a video clip.

[0027]FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an audio editing screen forediting audio media types.

[0028]FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a text editing screen forediting text media types.

[0029]FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating the mapping of the four-waycontrol during slide show presentation.

[0030]FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating the properties page of a mediaobject.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0031] The present invention is a method and apparatus for creating andpresenting a multimedia presentation comprising heterogeneous mediaobjects stored in a digital imaging device. The following description ispresented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use theinvention and is provided in the context of a patent application and itsrequirements. Although the present invention will be described in thecontext of a digital video camera, various modifications to thepreferred embodiment will be readily apparent to those skilled in theart and the generic principles herein may be applied to otherembodiments. That is, any digital imaging device used to store anddisplay and/or video, could incorporate the features describedhereinbelow and that device would be within the spirit and scope of thepresent invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to belimited to the embodiment shown but is to be accorded the widest scopeconsistent with the principles and features described herein.

[0032] Referring now to FIG. 1, a block diagram of one preferredembodiment of a digital video camera (DVC) is shown for use inaccordance with the present invention. The DVC 100 is preferably capableof capturing and displaying various types of image data includingdigital video and high-resolution still images.

[0033] The DVC 100 comprises an imaging device 110, a computer 112, anda hardware user interface 114. The Imaging device 110 includes an imagesensor (not shown), such as a charged coupled device (CCD) or a CMOSsensor, for capturing frames of image data in bayer format. The imageframes are transferred from the imaging device 110 to the computer 112for processing, storage, and display on the hardware user interface 114.

[0034] The computer 112 includes an image processingdigital-signal-processor (DSP) 116, a video codec 132, an audio codec132, a mass storage device 122, a CPU 124, a DRAM 126, an internalnonvolatile memory, a mixer, and a video control 132. The computer 112also includes a power supply 134, a power manager 136, and a system bus138 for connecting the main components of the computer 112.

[0035] The hardware interface 114 for interacting with the user includesa display screen 140 for displaying the digital video and still images,an audio subsystem 142 for playing and recording audio, buttons anddials 146 for operating the DVC 100, and an optional status display 148.

[0036] The CPU 124 may include a conventional microprocessor device forcontrolling the overall operation of camera. In the preferredembodiment, The CPU 124 is capable of concurrently running multiplesoftware routines to control the various processes of camera within amultithreaded environment. In a preferred embodiment, The CPU 124 runsan operating system that includes a menu-driven GUI. An example of suchsoftware is the Digita™ Operating Environment by FlashPoint Technologyof San Jose, Calif. Although the CPU 124 is preferably a microprocessor,one or more DSP 116's (digital signal processor) or ASIC's (ApplicationSpecific Integrated Circuit) could also be used.

[0037] Non-volatile memory 128, which may typically comprise aconventional read-only memory or flash memory, stores a set of computerreadable program instructions that are executed by the CPU 124.Input/Output interface (I/O) 150 is an interface device allowingcommunications to and from computer 112. For example, I/O 150 permits anexternal host computer (not shown) to connect to and communicate withcomputer 118.

[0038] Dynamic Random-Access-Memory (DRAM) 126 is a contiguous block ofdynamic memory that may be selectively allocated for various storagefunctions. DRAM 126 temporarily stores both raw and compressed imagedata and is also used by CPU 124 while executing the software routinesused within computer 112. The raw image data received from imagingdevice 110 is temporarily stored in several input buffers (not shown)within DRAM 126. A frame buffer (not shown) is used to store still imageand graphics data via the video control 132 and/or the mixer.

[0039] Power supply 134 supplies operating power to the variouscomponents of camera. Power manager 136 communicates via line with powersupply 134 and coordinates power management operations for camera. Inthe preferred embodiment, power supply 134 provides operating power to amain power bus 152 and also to a secondary power bus 154. The main powerbus 152 provides power to imaging device 110, I/O 150, Non-volatilememory 128 and removable memory. The secondary power bus 154 providespower to power manager 136, CPU 124 and DRAM 126.

[0040] Power supply 134 is connected to main batteries and also tobackup batteries 360. In the preferred embodiment, a camera user mayalso connect power supply 134 to an external power source. During normaloperation of power supply 134, the main batteries (not shown) provideoperating power to power supply 134 which then provides the operatingpower to camera via both main power bus 152 and secondary power bus 154.During a power failure mode in which the main batteries have failed(when their output voltage has fallen below a minimum operationalvoltage level) the backup batteries provide operating power to powersupply 134 which then provides the operating power only to the secondarypower bus 154 of camera.

[0041]FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams depicting an exemplary form factordesign for the DVC 100, shown here as a clam-shell design having arotatable imaging device 110. FIG. 2A is a top view of the DVC 100 in anopened position, while FIG. 2B is a top view of the DVC 100 in a closedposition. FIG. 2A shows the display screen 140, a four-way navigationcontrol 200, a mode dial 202, a display button 204, a set ofprogrammable soft keys 206, a shutter button 208, a menu button 210, andan audio record button 212.

[0042] The mode dial 202 is used to select the operating modes for DVC100, which include a capture mode (C) for recording video clips and forcapturing images, a review mode (R) for quickly viewing the video clipsand images on the display screen 140, and a play mode (P) for viewingfull-sized images on the display screen 140.

[0043] When the DVC 100 is placed into capture mode and the displayscreen 140 is activated, the camera displays a “live view” of the sceneviewed through the camera lens on the display screen 140 as a successiveseries of real-time frames. If the display screen 140 is not activated,then the user may view the scene through a conventional opticalviewfinder (not shown).

[0044] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2A, during live view, the imaging device110 transfers raw image data to the image processing DSP 116 at 30frames per second (fps), or 60 fields per second. The DSP 116 performsgamma correction and color conversion, and extracts exposure, focus, andwhite balance settings from the image data and converts the data intoCCIR 650 streaming video. (CCIR 650 is an international standard fordigital video designed to encompass both NTSC and PAL analog signals,providing an NTSC-equivalent resolution of 720×486 pixels at 30 fps. Itrequires 27 MB per second and uses three signals: one 13.5 MB/secluminance (gray scale) and two 6.75 MB/sec chrominance (color)).

[0045] After processing, the streaming video from the DSP 116 istransferred to the mixer for the overlay of optional graphics and/orimages onto the video. The graphics data from the DRAM's 126 framebuffer is transferred to the mixer in synch with streaming video, wherethe mixer combines the graphic data with the video. After the streamingvideo and the graphics are combined, the video is displayed on thedisplay screen 140 via the video control 132. A video out port is alsoprovided to display the video on an external display device.

[0046] When the user initiates the video capture function to record thedigital video, the streaming video output from the DSP 116 is alsotransferred to the video codec 132 for compression and storage. Thevideo codec 132 performs MPEG-2 encoding on the streaming video duringrecording, and performs MPEG-2 decoding during playback. The video codec132 may include local memory, such as 32 Mbits of SDRAM 126 for example,for MPEG-2 motion estimation between frames. Such video codecs 132 arecommercially available from Sony Electronics (CXD1922Q0) and MatsushitaElectronics Corp.

[0047] As the video codec 132 compresses the digital video, thecompressed video stream is transferred to a temporary buffer in DRAM126. Simultaneously, audio is recorded by the audio subsystem 142 andtransferred to the audio codec 132 for compression into a compressedaudio format, such MPEG Audio Layer 3 (MP3), which is common internetformat. In an alternative embodiment, the audio could be compressed intoAC-3 format, a well-known Dolby Digital audio recording technology thatprovides six surround-sound audio channels.

[0048] The CPU 124 mixes the compressed video and audio into a specifiedformat, such as MPEG-2, for example. After the compressed MPEG-2 data isgenerated, the CPU 124 transfers the MPEG-2 data to the removablemass-storage device 122 for storage. In a preferred embodiment, the massstorage device 122 comprises a randomly accessible 3-inch recordable DVDdrive from Toshiba/Panasonic, or a one-inch 340 MB MicroDriveTM fromIBM, for example.

[0049] The video architecture inputs the video stream from the DSP 116directly into the mixer, rather than first storing the video in memoryand then inputting the video to the mixer, in order to save busbandwidth. However, if sufficient bus bandwidth is provided (e.g., 100MHz), the video stream could be first stored in memory.

[0050] Although the resolution of the display screen 140 may vary, thedisplay screen 140 resolution is usually much less than the resolutionof the image data that's produced by imaging device 110 when the usercaptures a still image at full resolution. Typically, the resolution ofdisplay screen 140 is ¼ the video resolution of a full resolution image.Since the display screen 140 is capable of only displaying images at ¼resolution, the images generated during the live view process are also ¼resolution.

[0051] As stated above, the DVC 100 is capable of capturinghigh-resolution still images in addition to video. When the userinitiates the capture function to capture a still or sequential image,the image device captures a frame of image data at a resolution set byuser. The DSP 116 performs image processing on the raw CCD data toconvert the frame of data into YCC color format, typically YCC 2:2:2format (YCC is an abbreviation for Luminance, Chrominance-red andChrominance-blue). Alternatively, the data could be converted into RGBformat (Red, Green, Blue).

[0052] After the still image has been processed, the image iscompressed, typically in JPEG format, and stored as an image file on themass storage device 122. A JPEG engine (not shown) for compressing anddecompressing the still images may be provided in the image processingDSP 116, the video codec 132, provided as a separate unit, or performedin software by the CPU 124.

[0053] After the image has been compressed and stored, live view resumesto allow the capture of another image. The user may continue to eithercapture still images, capture video, or switch to play or review mode toplayback and view the previously stored video and images on the displayscreen 140. In a preferred embodiment, the DVC 100 is capable ofcapturing several different media types, as shown in FIG. 3.

[0054]FIG. 3 is a table listing example media types that may be capturedand stored by the DVC 100. Also shown are the corresponding icons thatare used to indicate to the media type. The media types include a singlestill image, a time lapse or burst image, a panorama, a video segment,an audio clip, and a text file.

[0055] A still image is a high-quality, single image that may have aresolution of 1536×1024 pixels, for example. A time-lapse image is aseries of images automatically captured by the DVC 100 at predefinedtime intervals for a defined duration (e.g. capturing a picture everyfive minutes for an hour). A burst image is similar to a time-lapse, butinstead of capturing images for defined period of time, the DVC 100captures as many images as possible in a brief time frame (e.g., acouple seconds). A panorama image is an image comprising severaloverlapping images of a larger scene that have been stitched together. Aburst image, a time-lapse image, and a panorama image are each objectsthat include multiple still images, therefore, they may be referred toas a sequential images.

[0056] In addition to capturing different image-based media types, theDVC 100 can capture other media types, such as audio clips and text. Theuser can record a voice message to create a stand-alone audio clip, orthe user may record a voice message and have it attached to an image toannotate the image. Audio clips may also be downloaded from an externalsource to add sound tracks to the captured objects.

[0057] A text media type is created by entering letters through thebuttons on the user interface. The text along with graphics can beoverlaid as watermarks on the images or, the text can be saved in a fileto create a text-based media type.

[0058] In a preferred embodiment, one or more of the different mediatypes can be combined to form a single media object. Since variouscombinations may be formed, such as single image with sound, or burstimage with text, etc, the DVC 100 can be described at storingheterogeneous media objects, each comprising a particular combination ofmedia types, such as images, video, sound, and text/graphics. Some typesof media objects are formed automatically by the DVC 100, such as acaptured image or an annotated image, others are formed manually by theuser.

[0059] After media objects are created and stored, the user may view themedia objects by switching the camera to play mode or review mode. Inplay mode, the camera 100 allows the user to view screen-sized images inthe display screen 140 in the orientation that the image was captured.Play mode also allows the user to hear recorded sound associated with adisplayed image, and to play back sequential groups of images (timelapse, burst, and panorama images) and to view movies from the video.

[0060] In review mode, the DVC 100 enables the user to rapidly reviewthe contents of the DVC. In addition, the media objects may be edited,sorted, printed, and transferred to an external source.

[0061] Referring now to FIG. 4A, a diagram illustrating one preferredembodiment of the review mode screen is shown. Moving the mode dial 202(FIG. 2) to access the review mode enables the user to view all themedia objects in the camera along with the specific media typesassociated with each of the objects.

[0062] The first embodiment of the review mode screen displays a seriesof object cells 300 that represent the media objects stored on the DVC100, and a command bar 310. The display screen 140 is shown here asdisplaying nine object cells 300, although other numbers are alsosuitable.

[0063] The user may navigate through a series of displayed object cells300 in the display screen 140 using the four-way navigation control 200.The object cell 300 currently selected by the four-way navigationcontrol 200 is indicated by a highlighted area 302, which in thisembodiment is-shown as selection rectangle. Other shapes or indicationsthat a object cell 300 is the currently active object cell are alsosuitable.

[0064] Each object cell 300 includes an image area 304 and anicon/information area 306. In the case of a still image, the image area304 of a object cell 300 displays a thumbnail of the media object, whichin the case of an image-based media object is a small, low-resolutionversion of the image. In the case of sequential images and videosegments, the image area 304 of a object cell 300 displays arepresentative thumbnail or frame from the image sequence or video,respectively, typically the first one.

[0065] The icon/information area 306 displays one or more graphicalicons and/or text information indicating to the user what media typeshave been associated with the media object displayed in the image area304. The icon/information area 306 may be placed in various positionsrelative to the image area 304. However, in a preferred embodiment, theicon/information area 306 is displayed on the right-hand side of eachobject cell 300, as shown.

[0066] Referring now to FIG. 4B a diagram illustrating a secondpreferred embodiment of the review mode screen is shown, where likecomponents share like reference numerals. In the second preferredembodiment, the review mode screen includes a filmstrip 352, theicon/information area 306 for displaying the media type icons associatedwith the active media object 302, a large thumbnail 354 showing a largerview of the active media object 302, and the command bar 310.

[0067] In a preferred embodiment, the filmstrip 352 displays fourthumbnail images 350 at a time, although other numbers are alsosuitable. The user may navigate through the series of displayedthumbnails 350 in the display screen 140 using the four-way navigationcontrol 200 (FIG. 2A). When the user holds down the left/right buttonson the four-way control 200, the thumbnails 350 are scrolled-off thedisplay screen 140 and replaced by new thumbnails 350 representing otherstored media objects to provide for fast browsing of the cameracontents. As the user presses the buttons on the four-way control 200and the thumbnails 350 scroll across the display screen 140, thethumbnail 350 that is positioned over a notch in the selection arrowline 356 is considered the active media object 302. When there are morethan four media objects in the camera, the selection arrow line 356displays arrowheads to indicate movement in that direction is possiblewith the left/right navigation buttons.

[0068] When a thumbnail 350 becomes the active media object 302, themedia type icons corresponding to that media object are automaticallydisplayed in the icon/information area 306, along with the largethumbnail 354. Other information can also be displayed, such as the nameor number of the media object, and the date and time the media objectwas captured or created, for example.

[0069] In both the first and second embodiments of the review screenlayout, displaying icons and text information in the icon/informationarea 306 according to the present invention provides the user with anautomatic method identifying common groups of media objects. This alsoreduces the need for the user to switch to play mode to view thefull-sized view of the object in order to recall the object's subjectmatter, which eliminates the need for decompressing the objects fordisplay.

[0070] In a first aspect of the present invention, a method andapparatus is provided for creating and presenting a multimediapresentation from the heterogeneous group of media objects stored anddisplayed on the DVC 100. This is accomplished by navigating throughseveral displays showing the heterogeneous media objects, selecting andmarking the desired objects in the preferred order to create an orderedlist of objects, and then saving the ordered list of objects as a slideshow, thereby creating a new type of media object. After the slide showis created, the user may present the slide show wherein each mediaobject comprising the slide show is automatically played back to theuser in sequence that it was selected. The slide show may be played backon the display screen 140 and/or on an external television via the videoout port.

[0071] In a second aspect of the present invention, each media objectmay be edited before or after incorporation into the slideshow, whereeach media object is edited using different media types editors designedto edit the media types associated with that particular object.

[0072] In a third aspect of the present invention, the user may specifyparameters for slide show so that the objects in the slide show are notdisplayed linearly, but are displayed in an order that is dependent uponuser defined events, thus creating an interactive slide show.

[0073] Each aspect of the present invention will now be explained in thesections below.

[0074] Slide Show Creation from Heterogeneous Media Objects

[0075] In a preferred embodiment, a slide show is generated by providingthe DVC 100 with a marking and unmarking function within the userinterface 114 that simultaneously provides for the selection and orderof the heterogeneous media objects in the slide show.

[0076] Referring again to FIGS. 4A and 4B, in a preferred embodiment,the marking and unmarking function is implemented through the use of thesoft keys 206 a, 206 b, and 206 c displayed in the command bar 310,which are programmable, i.e., they may be assigned predefined functions.Hence, the name “soft” keys.

[0077] The function currently assigned to a respective soft key 206 isindicated by several soft key labels 308 a, 308 b, and 308 c displayedin the command bar 310 on the display screen 140. In an alternativeembodiment, the display screen 140 may be a touch-screen wherein eachsoft key 206 and corresponding label are implemented as distincttouch-sensitive areas in the command bar 310.

[0078] After a soft key label 308 has been displayed, the user may pressthe corresponding soft key 206 to have the function indicated by itslabel 308 applied to the current image. The functions assigned to thesoft keys 206 may be changed in response to several different factors.The soft 206 keys may change automatically either in response to useractions, or based on predetermined conditions existing in the camera,such as the current operating mode, the image type of the media object,and so on. The soft keys 206 may also be changed manually by the user bypressing the menu button 210. Providing programmable soft keys 206increases the number of functions that may be performed by the camera,while both minimizing the number of buttons required on the userinterface 114, and reducing the need to access hierarchical menus.

[0079] In the first embodiment of the present invention, the soft keys206 are “Mark”, “Edit”, and “Save”. Although not shown, other levels ofsoft key functions may be provided to increase the number of functionsthe user could apply to the media objects.

[0080] In general, the mark function indicated by soft key label 308 aenables a user to create a temporary group of media objects. After agroup of media objects is created, the user may then perform functionson the group other than transforming the temporary group into apermanent slide show, such as deleting the group and copying, forexample.

[0081] To create an ordered group of images, the user navigates to aparticular media object using the four way control 200 and presses the“Mark” soft key 206 a corresponding to the mark function indicated bysoft key label 308 a. In response, a mark number is displayed in theobject cell 300 of the highlighted image 302 and the highlighted image302 becomes a marked image. After an image is marked, the “Mark” softkey label 308 a is updated to “Unmark”. The “Unmark” function allows theuser remove an image from the group, which removes the mark number fromthe object cell 300 of the highlighted image.

[0082] According to the present invention, a user may randomly create anordered group of heterogeneous media objects using the four-waynavigation control 200, and the programmable function keys 206, as shownin FIG. 5.

[0083]FIG. 5 is a flowchart depicting the process of creating an orderedgroup of heterogeneous media objects in accordance with the presentinvention.

[0084] The process begins when a user selects a media object bypositioning the highlight area 302 over the object cell 300, orotherwise selects the object cell 300, using the four-way navigationalcontrol 200 in step 500. The user then presses the function keycorresponding to the Mark soft key label 308 a in step 502. After the“Mark” soft key 206 a is depressed, the object cell 300 is updated todisplay the number of images that have been marked during the currentsequence in step 504. The object cell 300 may also be updated to displayan optional graphic, such as a dog-ear corner or a check mark, forexample. After the object cell 300 has been updated, the “Mark” soft keyin the command bar is updated to “Unmark” in step 506.

[0085] Next, the user decides whether to add more media objects to thetemporary set of marked media objects in step 508. If the user decidesto add more media objects, then the user selects the next media objectusing the four-way navigational control 200, and the “Unmark” soft keyin the command bar is updated to “Mark” in step 510.

[0086] If the user decides not to add more media objects to thetemporary group of marked media objects in step 508, then the userdecides whether to remove any of the marked media objects from the groupin step 512. If the user decides not to remove any of the marked mediaobjects from the group, then the user may select a function, such as“Save” or “Delete” to apply to the group in step 514.

[0087] If the user decides to remove a marked media object from thegroup, then the group is dynamically modified as follows. The user firstselects the media object to be removed by selecting the marked mediaobject using the four-way navigational control 200 in step 516. The userthen presses the function key corresponding to the “Unmark” soft key instep 518.

[0088] After the “Unmark” key is depressed, the object cells 300 for theremaining marked media objects may be renumbered. This is accomplishedby determining whether the selected media object is the highest numberedmedia object in the marked group in step 522. If the selected mediaobject is not the highest numbered media object in the marked group,then the marked media objects having a higher number are renumbered bysubtracting one from the respective mark number and displaying theresult in their object cells 300 in step 524. After the mark number isremoved from the unmarked media object and the other mark numbersrenumbered if required, the “Unmark” soft key in the command bar isupdated to “Mark” in step 526. The user may then continue to modify thegroup by marking and/or unmarking other media objects accordingly.

[0089] The process of grouping media objects in the digital camera willnow be explained by way of a specific example with reference to FIGS.4A, 4B, and 68.

[0090] Referring again to FIG. 4A, assume that the user wishes to createa slide show beginning with the selected media object 302. At thispoint, the soft keys displayed in the command bar are prompts to theuser that the user may perform the displayed functions, such as “Mark”,on the highlighted media object. The mark function is then performed bythe user pressing the Mark function key 206 a.

[0091] Referring now to FIG. 6 a diagram illustrating the result of theuser pressing the Mark function key is shown. The selected media objectcell 302 is updated with the number “1”, which indicates that the mediaobject is the first to be marked. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the usermarking another media object by selecting a second media object cell 322and pressing the Mark function key. This causes the media object cell322 to be updated with the number “2”. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing athird media object being selected and marked, as described above, inwhich case, the icon area of the media object 342 is updated with thenumber “3”.

[0092] Referring again to FIG. 5, while marking media objects, themethod for removing media objects in the group (steps 512-524) alsoallows a user to dynamically reorder or re-sequence the media objects inthe group. For example, assume the user has marked five media objects,labeled as “1”, “2”, “3”, “4”, “5”, and wants to make media object “3”the last media object in the group. This can be accomplished byunmarking media object “3”, which results in media objects “4”, and “5”being renumbered “3” and “4”, respectively. Thereafter, the user maymark the original media object “3”, which results in the media objectbeing labeled with the number “5”.

[0093] Referring again to FIG. 4, after the group has been created withthe chosen media objects in the desired sequence, the user saves theordered group to create a slide show media object. In a preferredembodiment, the slide show media object is created using “Save” functionshown in the command bar 310.

[0094] In one preferred embodiment, pressing the soft key 206 c assignedthe “Save” function creates a metadata file, which is a file containingdata that describes other data.

[0095] Referring to FIG. 9A, a diagram illustrating a slide show object360 implemented as an exemplary metadata file is shown. The metadatafile includes a series of fields that acts a play list when the file isread by identifying one or more of the following attributes for eachmedia object:

[0096] a) A pointer to, or the address of, the media object,

[0097] b) An identification of each media object's associated mediatypes; and

[0098] c) A duration of play.

[0099] Creating a metadata file that simply points to the real mediaobjects saves storage space since the original media objects do not haveto be duplicated.

[0100] In a second preferred embodiment, pressing the soft key 206 cassigned the “Save” function (FIGS. 4A and 4B) creates a permanent groupof media objects by copying all of the marked media objects either intoa file, a folder, or a directory on the DVC's mass storage device 122. Adialog box or other type of prompt appears asking the user to name thenew file, folder, or directory.

[0101] Referring to FIG. 9B, a diagram illustrating a slide show object360′ implemented as a file directory is shown. A directory named “slideshow” is created for the slide show 360′, where the name of thedirectory may be input by the user. After the directory is created, eachmarked media object is then copied to the directory as shown. Since themedia objects are copied, the original media objects are left in tact,and the new slide show object 360′ may be transferred to an externalsource.

[0102] After the slide show 360 has been created using any of thedescribed embodiments, it is displayed as a new media object cell 300 onthe display screen 140 along with an icon indicating that the mediaobject is a slide show. Selecting the new slide show object cell 300 andpressing the display button 204 or switching to play mode causes each ofthe media objects included in the “slide show” to be individually playedback on the display screen 140 in the sequence that they were markedwithout user intervention.

[0103] In the case of a slide show 360 created as metadata file, theslide show is played by executing the metadata file, causing each mediaobject listed to be fetched from memory and played in the order listedin the file. In the case of a slide show 360′ created as a standard fileor directory, the slide show 360′ is played by displaying each mediaobject in the order and listed.

[0104] When the slide show is presented, each media object therein isplayed by playing each of the media types comprising the object. Forexample, a still image is played by displaying the image for apredefined time on the display screen 140 while playing any associatedaudio. Sequential images are played by displaying each still comprisingthe sequential image while playing any associated audio. Video segmentsare played as a convention movie. A text-based object is played bydisplaying the text on the display screen 140. And a stand-alone audioclip is played by displaying a blank screen or the name of the clipwhile the audio is played through the DVC's 100 speakers.

[0105] According to the present invention, by connecting the DVC 100 toan external projector or television via the video out port, and playingthe slide show 360, the camera can be used as a presentation device inplace of a notebook computer, as shown in FIG. 10.

[0106]FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the DVC 100 connected toexternal projector 380, and alternatively to a large television 382.When the slide show 360 is played, the images, video and audio areautomatically displayed directly on the large screen 384 or on thescreen of the television 382 from the DVC 100. Thus, the presentinvention enables a novice user to show multimedia presentations withoutthe need for downloading images and/or video to a computer forincorporation into presentation software to create a multimediapresentation.

[0107] Editing Media Objects

[0108] Referring again to FIG. 8 in a second aspect of the presentinvention, the DVC 100 is provided with an advanced feature that allowsthe user to edit the media objects either before or after incorporationinto the slide show 360 using specialized media type editors. In onepreferred embodiment, the user edits the slide show 360 by selecting theslide show object in either review or play mode, and then pressing the“Edit” soft key 206 b. In response a slide show edit screen appearsdisplaying the thumbnail images of all the media objects in the slideshow.

[0109] Referring now to FIG. 11, a diagram illustrating the componentsof the slide show edit screen is shown in accordance with the presentinvention. The slide show edit screen is based on the review screenlayout of FIG. 4B, where like components share like reference numerals.The slide show edit screen 400 includes, the filmstrip 352, a list page402, and the command bar 310. The filmstrip 352 displays a scrollableseries of thumbnails representing all the media objects in the slideshow. The list page 402 displays a scrollable list of menu items thatcan be applied to the selected media object. And the command bar 310displays several of soft key functions 308.

[0110] In the implementation shown in FIG. 11, the user may move atarget cursor to discrete cursor locations 404 within the screen 400,shown here as diamond shapes, using the four-way navigational control200. The cursor is active at any given time in either the filmstrip 352or the list page 402. The current target-cursor location is shown as ablack diamond, and the element associated with the current cursorlocation is the target element. In a preferred embodiment, the soft keylabels 308 displayed in the command bar 310 are only associated with thetarget element.

[0111] To edit the slide show, the user navigates to the media object ofinterest in the filmstrip 352 and presses the “Choose” function 308 a toselect the targeted media object. In response, the target cursorlocation in the now inactive filmstrip 352 changes to a white diamond toshow that the selection of the selected media object 302 is persistent.At the same time, the black diamond cursor appears in the active listpage 402.

[0112] When in the list page 402, the item associated with the currentcursor location becomes the target item and the recipient of thefunctions in the command bar 310. While the list page 402 is active, the“Exit” function saves the state of the list page 402 and moves thetarget cursor back to the selected media object 302 in filmstrip 352.The “Help” function offers assistance with the target item.

[0113] From the list page 402, the user may choose the “Edit Object”item 406 for editing the selected media object 302, or choose the“Properties” item 408 to change the properties associated with theselected media object 302. Choosing the “Edit Object” item 406 invokesan edit screen for editing the selected media object's content, whichmeans editing the media types associated with the selected media object.In a preferred embodiment, for editing still image and sequential imagemedia types, an image editor appears to enable the user to change theappearance of the image(s). For video, a video editor appears to enablethe user to edit and rearrange scenes. For the audio, a sound editorappears to enable the user to edit the sound. And for text, such as alist of email addresses for example, a text editor appears to enable theuser to modify the text.

[0114] According to the present invention, all four editing screensoperate similar to the slide show editing screen 400 to ease the use andoperation of the editing functions and facilitate the creation ofmultimedia presentations by non-computer savvy users.

[0115] Referring now to FIG. 12, a diagram illustrating the imageediting screen 420 is shown. The image editing screen 420 displays thethumbnail image 422 of the selected media object in the filmstrip 352along with a real time preview of the modified image 424. The user mayselect which editing function to apply to the selected media image 422by moving the target cursor to the item in the list page 402 andpressing the “Choose” softkey 206 a. In response, a menu or screenshowing modifiable parameters for the selected item is displayed. Whenthe parameters are changed, the results are applied to the selectedimage and displayed as the modified image 424. The user may then chooseto keep or discard the changes.

[0116] Referring now to FIG. 13, a diagram illustrating the videoediting screen is shown. The video editing screen 430 displays a moviegraph 432 in the filmstrip 352 showing a pictorial representation of avideo's duration, a position of a playback head 434, and cue locations436 and 438 that mark significant moments in the video. The video'sduration can be sized to fit the length of the movie graph 432 or scaledup and down via the “Zoom In” and Zoom Out” soft key functions 308 a and308 b. A preview pane 440 is provided to play back that portion of thevideo shown in the filmstrip 352.

[0117] The position of the playback head 434 is preferably located inthe center of the movie graph 432 and marks the current frame. The moviescrolls forwards and backwards under the playback head 434. The cursorlocations 436 (diamonds) on the left and right sides of the movie graph432 control scrolling. The user may play back the video by navigating tothe “Preview” item in the list page 402, causing that portion of thevideo to play in the preview pane 440.

[0118] The cues 438 displayed across the top of the movie graph 432 areassociated with the visible video duration. The user may define clipswithin the video by marking begin and end frames with cues 438. Afterdefining the clip, the user may copy, move, or delete the clip.

[0119] FIGS. 14-17 are diagrams illustrating the process of editing avideo on the DVC 100 by creating and moving a clip.

[0120] Referring to FIG. 14, the process of creating a clip begins bydefining and inserting a new cue by navigating to the “Cue” item in thelist page 402 and pressing the “Insert” softkey 206 a”.

[0121]FIG. 15 shows that by default the inserted cue 442 is positionedalong the movie graph 432 on the current frame marked by the playbackhead 434. When a cue is inserted, or otherwise targeted by the cursor,the command bar 310 is updated enable the user to select, move, ordelete the cue. Pressing the “Choose” soft key 206 a marks the currentcue position as the beginning frame of the video clip.

[0122] Referring now to FIG. 16, after defining the start of the clip,the user navigates left or right to another cue location 438, andpresses the “Choose” soft key 206 a again to define the end frame of theclip. The duration of the video between the two clips becomes a selectedclip 444, as shown in FIG. 16. After the clip 444 is created, thecommand bar 310 is updated to enable the user to copy, move, or deletethe clip. To move the clip 444, the user presses the “Move” soft key 206b.

[0123] Referring now to FIG. 17, in move mode, the user may drag theclip 444 left and right to the desired location in the video using thenavigation control 200. The video will scroll if required. The user canchoose to insert the clip 444 at its new location by pressing the“Insert” soft key 206 a (which “offsets” the video content underneathit), or replace the video content with the clip content by pressing the“Replace” soft key 206 a. If the user inserts the clip 444, all cuesdownstream are preferably offset by the duration of the clip. Once theclip 444 is dropped into its new position, the move mode is turned off,and the user may edit the clip, navigate to another clip, or navigate tothe list page to perform other operations.

[0124] According to the video editing screen 430 of the presentinvention, novice users are provided with a way to edit digital videodirectly on the DVC. Thus the present invention eliminates need fordownloading the video to a PC and editing the video with some complexvideo editing package geared towards expert videophiles.

[0125] Referring now to FIG. 18, a diagram illustrating an audio editingscreen for editing audio media types is shown. The audio editing screen450 appears and operates like the video editing screen 430, except thata waveform 452 depicting the recorded audio is displayed in thefilmstrip 352. The user may hear the audio by selecting the “Play” itemin the list page 402, or insert cues as described above by selecting the“Cue” item.

[0126] Referring now to FIG. 19, a diagram illustrating a text editingscreen for editing text media types is shown. The text editing screen460 allows the user to edit text-based media objects. The text editingscreen 460 uses the filmstrip 352 for displaying text that is to beedited, and includes a keyboard 462 in the list page 402, and an editfield 464.

[0127] To enter text, the user navigates to a desired character in thekeyboard 462 and presses the “Type” soft key 206 a whereupon the letterappears in the both the filmstrip 352 and the edit field 464. The usermay edit a current word 466 by press the “up” button twice on thefour-way navigational control 200 to enter the filmstrip 352. A cursormay be moved back and forth using the navigational control 200 to selecta word 466, causing the word to appear in the edit field 464. The wordmay then be edited using the key board 462.

[0128] Modifying the Slide Show to Create an Interactive Presentation

[0129] Referring again to FIG. 11, after creating and/or editing theslide show, the slide show is ready to present. According to a thirdaspect of the present invention, the user may choose differentpresentation styles to apply to the slide show to create interactivepresentations. In addition, the user may change the properties of mediaobjects so that the objects in the slide show are not displayed linearlyduring playback, but rather are displayed in an order that is dependentupon user defined events.

[0130] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, threepresentation styles are provided. The first presentation style is toplay back the media objects in the order that they were marked by theuser during slide show creation. This is the default style. Aftercreating the slide show, all the user need do is press the displaybutton 204 and the slide show will present itself automatically.

[0131] The second presentation style is random access, where the playback order is controlled manually by the user using the four-waynavigational control 200 (FIG. 2). According the to the presentinvention, the functions of the four-way navigational control 200 arechanged during slide show presentation.

[0132]FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating the mapping of functions to thefour-way control during slide show presentation. The function mapped tothe right (or forward) button 200 a is to display the next media objectin the slide show when the button 200 a is pressed. The function mappedto the left button 200 b is to display the next media object in theslide show when the button 200 b is pressed. And the function mapped toeither the up or down buttons 200 c and 200 d is to display a list ofmedia objects in the slide show when either the up or down buttons 200 cand 200 d is pressed. Once the list is displayed, the user can scroll toa desired media object and select that media object to cause it to bedisplayed, thus providing random access to the objects in the slide showduring presentation.

[0133] The third presentation style is branching, which allows the userto associate branches to a particular media object that indicate whichmedia object in the slide show will be played after the current mediaobject. During playback, the user controls whether or not the branchshould be taken.

[0134] Referring again to FIG. 11, in a preferred embodiment, the userestablishes the branch associations by navigating to a desired mediaobject in the slide show and selecting the “Properties” item 408 fromthe list page 402. In response, a properties page is displayed.

[0135] Referring now to FIG. 21, a diagram illustrating the propertiespage of the current media object 482 is shown. The properties page 480displays the thumbnail of the current media object 482 in the filmstrip352. The list page 402 displays a scrollable list of user-definedproperties associated with the current media object 482 that control howand when the media object is played back during the slide showpresentation. The user chooses which property to change by moving thetarget cursor to the discrete cursor locations 404 using the four-waynavigational control 200.

[0136] As shown, the first property the user may change is the mediaobject's position in the slide show. This property allows the user tomanually change the media object's order of play in the slide show. Asan example, the number three indicates the current media object 482 isthe third object that will be played during the presentation of theslide show.

[0137] The second property the user may change is the duration the mediaobject will be played back before the next media object is played. In apreferred embodiment, three types of duration settings are provided. Thefirst duration type is a predefined fixed duration, such as 3 seconds,for example. The second duration type is automatic and is used when themedia object includes audio. The automatic setting causes the mediaobject to be played for the duration of the associated audio. The thirdtype of duration is random, where the user overrides the durationsetting by manually playing the next media object using the navigationcontrol during slide show presentation, as described with reference toFIG. 20.

[0138] As stated above, another property the user may change isbranching, which causes the slide show to branch to predefined mediaobjects during presentation. In a preferred embodiment, the userspecifies which media objects may be branched to by associating themedia objects to the soft keys 206. When the edited media object issubsequently played in the slide show, the soft key labels 308 displaythe names of the specified media objects that may be branched to. Whenthe user presses one of the soft keys 206, the slide show jumps to thespecified media object and the presentation continues.

[0139] The example of FIG. 21 shows that the user has associated mediaobject #8 with the first soft key 206 a, and has associated media object#20 with the second soft key 206 b. After the user has defined all theproperties, the user may exit the properties screen 480 and edit theother media objects or play the newly created interactive slide showpresentation.

[0140] When the slide show is presented, and the media object 482 editedin FIG. 21 is played, the user will have the options of allowing theslide show to play in the defined order or change the order of playback.The order of playback may be changed by playing adjacent media objectsusing the navigational control, or by using the soft keys 206 to branchto the media objects displayed in the command bar 310.

[0141] In accordance with the present invention, the properties screen480, the text editing screen 460, the audio editing screen 450, thevideo editing screen 430, and the image editing screen 420 have beenprovided with an integrated user interface so that all the screensoperate similarly, thus making the advance editing functions easy tolearn by novice users. In addition, the variety of functions provided bythe editing screens enable the user to edit the text, audio, video, andimage media types all within a DVC.

[0142] In summary, a method and apparatus for creating and presenting amultimedia presentation comprising heterogeneous media objects in thedigital imaging device has been disclosed. Although the presentinvention has been described in accordance with the embodiments shown,one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that there couldbe variations to the embodiments and those variations would be withinthe spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0143] For example, the functions of creating the slide show, editingthe heterogeneous media objects, and changing the properties of theheterogeneous media objects, may be included as part of the operatingsystem, or be implemented as an application or applet that runs on top,or in place, of the operating system. In addition, the present inventionmay be implemented in other types of digital imaging devices, such as anelectronic device for archiving images that displays the stored imageson a television, for instance. In addition, software written accordingto the present invention may be stored on a computer-readable medium,such as a removable memory, or transmitted over a network, and loadedinto the digital camera for execution. Accordingly, many modificationsmay be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is: 1 A method for editing heterogeneous media objectsin a digital imaging device having a display screen, the methodcomprising the steps of: a) displaying a representation of each one ofthe media objects on the display screen, each one of the media objectshaving one or more media types associated therewith, wherein the mediatypes include a still image, video, and audio; b) enabling a user torandomly select a particular media object to edit; c) in response to auser pressing a key to edit the selected media object, invoking one ormore specialized edit screens for editing the media types associatedwith the selected media object, wherein i) if the media object includesa still image, then an image editing screen is invoked, ii) if the mediaobject includes a video clip, then a video editing screen is invoked,and iii) if the media object includes an audio clip, then an audioediting screen is invoked. 2 A method as in claim 1 wherein the mediatypes further include a sequential image, and text, step (c) furtherincluding the steps of: iv) if the media object includes text, then atext editing screen is invoked. 3 A method as in claim 2 wherein step(c) further includes the step of: i) displaying in each one of thespecialized editing screens, a representation of the selected mediaobject's content, items to be applied to the selected media object, andat least one soft key function, whereby each one of the specializedediting screens operates in a similar manner to ease use and operationof the digital imaging device and to facilitate creation of multimediapresentations on the digital imaging device. 4 A method as in claim 3wherein step (c) further includes the step of: providing at least one ofthe specialized editing screens with discrete cursor locations, whichthe user navigates among using a navigation control. 5 A method as inclaim 4 wherein step (c) further includes the step of: providing atleast one of the specialized editing screens with real time preview ofediting functions applied to the selected media object. 6 A method as inclaim 5 wherein step (b) further includes the steps of: i) displaying aplurality of thumbnail images on the display screen, wherein eachthumbnail image represents one of the stored media objects; and ii)providing an icon area on the display screen for displaying anindication of the media types associated with a selected media object. 7A digital imaging device for editing heterogeneous media objects,comprising: a randomly-accessible mass storage device for storing theheterogeneous media objects, each one of the media objects having one ormore media types associated therewith, wherein the media types include astill image, a sequential image, video, audio, and text; a video codecfor decoding the video associated with a stored media object when thestored media object is to be displayed; a hardware user interface fordisplaying the heterogeneous media objects, the hardware user interfaceincluding a navigational control, and means to select one of the mediaobjects; and processing means coupled to the mass storage device, thevideo codec, and to the hardware user interface for controllingoperation of the digital imaging device, the processing meansfunctioning such that in response to the using randomly selecting one ofthe media objects to edit, the processing means invokes one or morespecialized edit screens for editing the media types associated with theselected media object, wherein the specialized edit screens include animage editing screen for editing still and sequential images, a videoediting screen for editing video, an audio editing screen for editingaudio, and a text editing screen for editing text. 8 A digital imagingdevice as in claim 7 wherein the each one of the specialized editingscreens displays a representation of the selected media object'scontent, editing items to be applied to the selected media object, andat least one soft key function, whereby each one of the specializedediting screens operates in a similar manner to ease use and operationof the digital imaging device and to facilitate creation of multimediapresentations on the digital imaging device. 9 A digital imaging deviceas in claim 8 wherein at least one of the specialized editing screensincludes discrete cursor locations, which the user navigates among usinga navigation control. 10 A digital imaging device as in claim 9 whereinat least one of the specialized editing screens displays a real timepreview of selected editing items applied to the selected media object.11 A digital imaging device as in claim 10 further including a displayscreen, wherein the processing means displays thumbnail images on thedisplay screen representing the stored media objects, and provides anicon area on the display screen for displaying an indication of themedia types associated with the selected media object. 12 A digitalimaging device as in claim 11 wherein each one of the selected mediaobjects to edit are stored in a slide show media object. 13 A method forediting heterogeneous media objects stored in a digital imaging devicehaving a display screen, the method comprising the steps of: a) creatinga slide show from randomly selected ones of the heterogeneous mediaobjects stored in the digital imaging device, each one of theheterogeneous media objects comprising at least one media type, themedia types including a still image, a sequential image, video, audio,and text; b) in response to a user editing the slide show, displaying aslide show edit screen, wherein a representation of each media objectcomprising the slide show is displayed on the display screen; c)enabling a user to randomly select media objects to edit; d) enablingthe user to edit the selected media object's content; and e) enablingthe user to edit properties associated with the selected media object.14 A method as in claim 13 wherein step (d) further includes the stepof: i) in response to a user editing the selected media object'scontent, invoking one or more specialized edit screens for editing themedia types associated with the selected media object, wherein thespecialized edit screens include an image editing screen for editingstill and sequential images, a video editing screen for editing video,an audio editing screen for editing audio, and a text editing screen forediting text. 15 A method as in claim 14 wherein step (d) furtherincludes the step of: ii) displaying in each one of the specializedediting screens, a representation of the selected media object'scontent, items to be applied to the selected media object, and at leastone soft key function, whereby each one of the specialized editingscreens operates in a similar manner to ease use and operation of thedigital imaging device and to facilitate creation of multimediapresentations on the digital imaging device. 16 A method as in claim 15wherein step (d) further includes the step of: iii) providing at leastone of the specialized editing screens with discrete cursor locations,which the user navigates among using a navigation control. 17 A methodas in claim 16 wherein step (c) further includes the step of: iv)providing at least one of the specialized editing screens with real timepreview of editing functions applied to the selected media object. 18 Amethod as in claim 17 wherein step (b) further includes the steps of: i)displaying a plurality of thumbnail images on the display screen,wherein each thumbnail image represents one of the stored media objects;and ii) providing an icon area on the display screen for displaying anindication of the media types associated with a selected media object.